Pakistan, Ethiopia vow to resolve market access issues

Explore ways to remove pharma registration, regulatory bottlenecks

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Ethiopia's Minister of Trade and Regional Integration Yasmin Wohabrebbi held a high-level virtual meeting on Friday to discuss strengthening bilateral trade, Ethiopia's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the early resolution of outstanding market-access and pharmaceutical regulatory issues.

vThe federal minister emphasised the need for translating diplomatic goodwill into tangible commercial outcomes. He highlighted Pakistan's efforts to facilitate direct air connectivity with Ethiopia and called for the early resolution of outstanding issues concerning WTO market-access negotiations and pharmaceutical registrations.

Ethiopian Trade Minister Yasmin Wohabrebbi appreciated Pakistan's constructive engagement and briefed the meeting on progress towards Ethiopia's accession to the WTO. She pointed out that 11 out of 17 bilateral market-access agreements had been concluded and sought Pakistan's cooperation in facilitating the remaining accession process while addressing its legitimate trade interests through continued consultations.

Speaking at the meeting, Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul underscored the importance of sustained technical-level coordination between relevant institutions to address pending pharmaceutical registration matters, facilitate market access and ensure practical progress on agreed trade priorities. He also underlined the need for regular follow-up consultations and deliberations to remove regulatory bottlenecks and encourage greater private-sector engagement. Both ministers discussed strengthening institutional cooperation, including convening the meeting of the Joint Economic Committee and developing a practical roadmap to expand bilateral trade and investment. They expressed the intention to pursue outstanding matters ahead of their proposed bilateral engagement in February 2027.

Concluding the meeting, Jam Kamal Khan reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to a stronger economic partnership with Ethiopia, stressing that timely decisions and concrete actions would help unlock the considerable trade potential between the two countries.

Ambassadors of Pakistan and Ethiopia, and senior officials of both countries also attended the meeting virtually.